Splendor in the Glass

Den of Antiquity #9

by Tamar Myers

Antiques dealer Abby Timberlake Washburn is thrilled when the Mrs. Amelia Shadbar, doyenne of Charleston society,invites her to broker a pricey collection of Lalique glass sculpture. These treasures will certainly boost business at the Den of Antiquity, and maybe hoist Abby into the upper crust, which would please her class-conscious mom, Mozella, no end. Alas, Abby's fragile dream is soon shattered when Mrs. Shadbark meets a foul, untimely end. And as the last known visitor to the victim's palatial abode, Abby's being pegged by the local law as suspect Numero Uno. Of course there are other possible killers, including several dysfunctional offspring and a handyman who may have been doing more for the late Mrs. S than fixing her leaky faucets. But Abby's the one who'll have to piece the shards of this deadly puzzle together or else face a fate far worse than a mere seven years of bad luck!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 30, 2002

About the author

Tamar Myers was born and raised in the Belgian Congo (now just the Congo). Her parents were missionaries to a tribe which, at that time, were known as headhunters and used human skulls for drinking cups. Hers was the first white family ever to peacefully coexist with the tribe, and Tamar grew up fluent in the local trade language. Because of her pale blue eyes, Tamar’s nickname was Ugly Eyes.

Tamar grew up eating elephant, hippopotamus and even monkey. She attended a boarding school that was two days away by truck, and sometimes it was necessary to wade through crocodile infested waters to reach it. Other dangers she encountered as a child were cobras, deadly green mambas, and the voracious armies of driver ants that ate every animal (and human) that didn’t get out of their way.

In 1960 the Congo, which had been a Belgian colony, became an independent nation. There followed a period of retribution (for heinous crimes committed against the Congolese by the Belgians) in which many Whites were killed. Tamar and her family fled the Congo, but returned a year later. By then a number of civil wars were raging, and the family’s residence was often in the line of fire. In 1964, after living through three years of war, the family returned to the United States permanently.

Tamar was sixteen when her family settled in America, and she immediately underwent severe culture shock. She didn’t know how to dial a telephone, cross a street at a stoplight, or use a vending machine. She lucked out, however, by meeting her husband, Jeffrey, on her first day in an American high school. They literally bumped heads while he was leaving, and she entering, the Civics classroom.

Tamar now calls Charlotte, NC home. She lives with her husband, plus a Basenji dog named Pagan, a Bengal cat named Nkashama, and an orange tabby rescue cat named Dumpster Boy. She and her husband are of the Jewish faith, the animals are not.

Tamar enjoys gardening (she is a Master Gardner), bonsai, travel, painting and, of course, reading. She loves Thai and Indian food, and antique jewelry. She plans to visit Machu Pichu in the near future.

Series:
* Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery
* Den of Antiquity Mystery

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad entry in the series, though I'm still unsure as to why the author felt it necessary to relocate most of her cast to Charleston. (No mention was made of Abby's former best friend, Wynell, who now seems to have been replaced with C.J.) There were a few too many references to "my friend in Pennsylvania, Magdalena Yoder." We get it, Tamar, you have another mystery series. And, for some reason, this one was riddled with typos. A former library patron took it upon herself to correct some of them, though she missed my favorite: "Suppose you tell me about your relationship with the diseased."

Well, officer, the deceased was not diseased . . . she was poisoned.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a nice find. This is the ninth book of A Den of Antiquity mystery series. I didn't feel like I was missing anything which is good for a book this far in the series. I found this story witty, fast paced with unique characters. Abby is invited to tea with "the" upper class of Charleston society. Her joy turns south when said lady is murdered and she was the last person known to see her. A fun read.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so much fun and I've been gone to long from it. Abby and her corny family and friends are always fun to visit.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m liking Abby’s new location, Charleston is just a fun city and I enjoyed seeing some familiar places. The mystery was good and I enjoyed the resolution.

[VJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoever edits this stuff really needs to compare other books for continuity. The most recent transgression is CJ and church. Last book, she had for two years attended the same church as Beauford and Tweetie. This book? She hasn't gone anywhere since Grandma Ledbetter's church burned down.

Dmitri can't figure out whether he is totally declawed, not declawed at all, or still has his hind claws. I think the author has finally (nine books into the series) decided that he is front declawed only.

Mmm. The first meal cooked by Bob of the Rob-Bob fame to sound amazing: grouper wrapped in pancetta and served over puréed potatoes infused with goat cheese. Oh, yum! I just had lunch and that still sounds amazing!

It wasn't until I got to the last few chapters that I realize I've read this book before now. I think I've read a couple of the other ones as well, quite a few years ago. It wasn't a bad story and I kind of figured out who was behind it but I didn't put the "why" part together until I remembered reading the book in the past.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is set in the American Holy City (Charleston, SC) and I am throughly enjoying it right now. It even provides a little tour of Charleston for those who haven't been there.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy mystery read; set in charleston,sc so lots of fun SC references.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. It was an enjoyable read and fun.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

good light mystery

[Jeanne]

picked up at library...looking for a little light mystery. did not like it at all

[Liz V.]

New-to-me author. Three-Stooges cum frat house humor.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I alwasy gain a bit of antique knowledge from this high spirited read. Go Girl! Let's learn to call a fake a fake!

[Susan Moxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner with lots of twists and turns and lots of mystery and action. I book that will be hard to put down

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Myers has a wonderful sense of humor and these books are a great deal of fun. The characters are always one of a kind and the endings are often a great surprise. This entry in the series is no exception. On the other hand, this author was able to lend a deep sense of atmosphere to the previous books but fell a little short with this one. Charleston has so much atmosphere though that I'm sure that this will improve in the next book. I do wish that Abby would stop wailing so much but in this book almost every sentence out of her mouth was wailed. I also wish that Mrs. Myers would stop advertising her "Magdalena Yoder" series within the text of this series. This has happened before but was particularly a problem with this book. We all know about Magdalena Mrs. Myers, there is no need to wave her in front of our face like a giant red flag.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trying to get into High Society is extremely hard to do. But Abby Timberlake has received an invitation to tea, only the next day she finds her as a suspect in the dead of the woman. Of course, Abby has to see if she could find any clues to her death there being others who could be involved. A fun read.

[Kerry J. Gruber · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot is decent but there are too many flaws for this book to be enjoyable. The protagonist is always wailing; there are misused words and way too much Southern-splaining. I fail to understand how an antiquities dealer fails to detect a fake Lalique.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was sillier than I like my cozy mysteries. Myers overdid the puns and the local humour.

[Jean Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never read this author before. The book was cute. Not what I look for in a mystery. But it was a pleasant visit in Charleston, South Carolina.

[Vicky Goad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series of books, but sometimes the author tends to contradict herself from one book to another. I try not to take the book too seriously and do enjoy reading them.

[Sharon Bezrutczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a funny series

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another fun mystery. I'm off to the next book!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abby Timberlake Washburn, Charleston antiques dealer, ends up in the middle of a murder investigation. Told with lots of humor amid the intrigue, this was a fun read.

[Eileen Mahoney · Rating 3 out of 5]

What was funny is Abby not knowing a real work from a fake. All in all story pretty good.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

""

[ChrisGA · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun cozy